Mop



C. FATLAND Nov. 24, 1936.

MOP

Filed Sept. 23, 1935 Patented Nov. 24, 1936 siren STAiEd ATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to mops, and it is an improvement on the mop described and claimed in my copending patent application Serial No. 17,295, filed April 19, 1935. One of the objects of the invention is to provide means for conveniently and quickly releasing the outer roller of the mop so as to insert or remove the mop cloth from between the rollers. Another object is to provide means for preventing the outer roller -from becoming inadvertently released during the mopping operation or otherwise.

Of the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevation of the mop head, partly in section; Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fractional sectional view of the mop head of Fig. l. with the outer roller released from one of its bearings; Fig. 5 is a similar fragmental sectional view of a modified form of mop head in operative condition; Fig. 6 is a sectional View along the line 6-8 of Fig. 5; Fig. '7 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 5 but with the outer roller released from its bearing; and Fig. 8 shows another modification with the outer roller released from its bearing.

My mop comprises in general the handle In, to which is fixed a pair of yoke-like'arms and I2, in the outer ends of which are journaled the rollers l3 and M. Fixed to one of the spindles l5 of the inner roller is an arm for rotating the rollers when it is desired to wring out the mop I1; and to assist in this operation a handle I8 is connected to the free end of the arm, preferably pivoted thereto; and to prevent rotation of the rollers when operating the mop the free end of the handle is fixed to the handle l0 of'the mop in any suitable manner, as by slipping it under the clip 20.

In order to insert or remove the mop cloth II ,it ispreferable to remove the outer roller. The spindles 2| and 22 of this roller are journaled in the outer ends 23 and 24 of the arms II and I2 in the openings 25 and 26. In order to remove the roller from its bearings I arrange to spread the arms apart. This I accomplish in this instance by forcing the arm end 23 away from the ends of the rollers. The spindle 21 of the roller i3 is journaled also in a bar 28, which has one end 3| projecting through an opening 30 in the arm Encircling the bar is a spring 32 which is positioned between the arm II and a stop- 33 fixed to the bar. This spring continuously tends to press the roller l3 outwardly against the mop cloth I1 and the outer roller. A somewhat similar arm 34 and spring 35 are provided for the other end of the roller Hi.

The spindles 21 and L: of the roller l3 are journaled in elongated openings 36 and 31 in the arms Hand l2 respectively, so that the roller is free to move longitudinally of the arms sufiiciently for all purposes. The opening 30 is materially elongated so that the end 3| of the bar 28 can be forced outwardly a material distance. When so operated the corner 38 of the bar presses against the arm H and forces the end 23 thereof away from the roller ends. The bar thus acts as a lever with its fulcrum at the end 80, and as it forces the end 23 away from the end of the roller id the spindle 2| is released from its bearing. The spring 32 then, pressing the roller |3 against the .inop cloth IT, forces the outer roller outwardly, and as there is no head on the spindle 22 the roller falls from the arms, or it may be easily removed therefrom.

It sometimes happens that, in the operation of the mop, the cloth I1 is forced against the end of the arm H, and to prevent the arm end 23 from being forced out in this manner sufficiently to' release the spindle 2| from its bearing I pro-- vide a member 4| which is positioned between the end 40 of the bar and the ends of the rollers. With this in place the end 40 of the bar, when the bar is operated to release the roller Id, presses against the member 4|, instead of the endof the roller i3, and thus forces the member against the end of the roller l4, and thus separating it from its bearing.

The principal purpose of the member 4|, however, as suggested, is to prevent the mop cloth H from forcing the arm 23 outwardly. The spindie 21 is enlarged at its outer end, but is reduced at the portion 42 which is journaled in the member 4|. The opening 43 is smaller than the head, and hence the spindle head at all times holds the member 4| snugly against the ends of the rollers. In operating the mop the cloth presses against the member M, and this member prevents any effective pressure on the end 23. The member 4| is preferably channel shaped, having flanges 44 which project along the edges of the bar 28, thus insuring against the misplacement of the member at any time. The outer end of the member has a slot 45 therein from which the spindle 2| may be readily removed.

When it is desired to insert or remove the cloth, the operator pulls outwardly on the bar end 3|, thus forcing the end 23 of the arm outwardly and releasing the spindle 2| from its bearing. The roller will then be forced outward- 1y by the spring 32, and the cloth may then be readily inserted or removed. At the same time the member 4| is held in place by the end 40 of the bar, by the flanges 44, and also by the head on the spindle 21; and this member eliminates any possibility of the end 23 being pushed outwardly by the mop when in operation.

Figs. 5 to '7 illustrate a modification of this mop head in which the bar 50, which corresponds to the bar 28, extends outwardly between the end 23 and the end of the roller l4, and the member 4| is omitted. In this case the end 23 is pushed outwardly to release the spindle 2| by forcing the end 5! of the bar inwardly, the corner 52 of the roller l3 acting as the fulcrum of the lever formed by the bar 50, thus pushing outwardly the end, as shown in Fig. '7.

In this case, in order to prevent the mop cloth pushing outwardly the end 23, the bar 50 is locked in its outward position in any suitable manner. I prefer for the purpose to provide a member 53 which has its inner end positioned between the spring 32 and the arm I I, and, projecting outwardly from this end, is a flange 54 which normally passes into the opening through which the bar 50 passes. This flange, by resting against the inner edge of the opening 30, prevents the bar from being pushed inwardly as the bar passes through an opening 55 in the member 53. However, when the outer end of the member 53 is pushed towards the bar the projecting portions 56 (Fig. 6) that are positioned against the inner side of the arm I l act as a fulcrum and the flange 54 is forced out of the opening 30, thus releasing the bar 50 and allowing it to be forced inwardly (Fig. 7).

In this case the channel member 4| is unnecessary, as the member 53 serves the same purpose. In the modification shown in Fig. 8, this member 4| is used just as in case of Fig. 1. But in case of Fig. 8 the corner 38 has for its fulcrum the corner 52 of the roller I3, and the end 3| is pushed inwardly to release the roller M. Fig. 8 shows the various members in the positions taken when the roller is free from its bearing.

In each of these cases the slot 45 acts as a guide in inserting the spindle 2| in its bearing, and the inclined surface 56 assists in inserting the spindle, as it is necessary only to place the outer end of the spindle on this surface and then force the end of the roller inwardly. The end of the spindle will force the end 23 of the arm outwardly until the spindle passes into the opening 25. The inclined surfaces 51, at the outer end of the slot 45, assist in guiding the spindle into the slot, so that the spindle may be very quickly and easily removed or inserted, as may be desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a mop, a mop handle, a pair of spaced arms fixed with reference to the handle and projecting therefrom, a pair of coacting mop rollers with their spindles journaled in the outer ends of the arms, and means for forcing one of the arms away from one end of the outer roller to release its spindle from its bearing, said means comprising a bar positioned parallel with the said arm and between the adjacent end of the inner roller and the adjacent arm, with one end extending beyond the spindle of the inner roller and the other end projecting materially away from the inner roller and in the general direction of the arm, the bar being arranged for tiltable movement by varying the distance transversely between the projecting bar portion and the arm.

2. In a mop as claimed in claim 1, and releasable locking means to prevent said varying movement.

3. A mop as claimed in claim 1, and means to prevent the mop cloth when in operation from pushing said adjacent arm away from the said end of the outer roller.

4. A mop as claimed in claim 1, and means to prevent the mop cloth when in operation from pushing said adjacent arm away from the said end of the outer roller, said latter means comprising a strap positioned between the adjacent ends of the inner roller and the arm and extending to the adjacent end of the outer roller, and means to prevent the strap from being forced away from the end of the inner roller.

5. In a mop, a handle, a pair of arms fixed with reference to the handle adjacent its end, said arms extending in opposite directions transversely of the handle, and then extending parallel with each other away from the handle, a pair of coacting mop rollers with their spindles journaled respectively in the outer ends of the arms, and means for releasing one spindle of the outer roller from its bearing, said means comprising a bar positioned parallel with the arm and between the arm and the end of the adjacent inner roller, the spindle of the inner roller also being journaled in the adjacent end of the bar, the other end of the bar being movably mounted with reference to the transverse portion of the arm, whereby, when the latter end of the bar is moved longitudinally with reference to the transverse portion the other end thereof will force the arm away from the adjacent roller ends, and will thus release the spindle of the outer roller from its bearing.

6. In a mop as claimed in claim 5, the said transverse portion having a longitudinal slot therein and the said bar end being mounted for longitudinal movement with reference to said portion by passing through the slot.

CONRAD FA'I'LAND. 

